Changes coming for Valley church

by Sharlene Irete

sirete@recordcourier.com

Carson Valley Christian will be undergoing changes in the next year. The church name will be changed to LifePoint, an 8,000-square-foot expansion is planned and the founding pastor will be leaving.

Pastor John Jackson has been with the church since the beginning, but will be going on to the Bayside Church in Granite Bay, Calif., within the next year.

"I was my choice to move and have mixed feelings because we gave birth to this church," Jackson said. "It's our choice but we'll continue to stay involved by helping to find my successor.

"I love Carson Valley and Carson City. This is our home but God is calling us to start new work."

Carson Valley Christian Center was started 13 years ago and moved into the present building on Stephanie Way in Minden in 1998. The name of the church is changing to LifePoint and it will be affiliated with Bayside and Thriving Churches International.

Jackson has worked in the formation of Thriving Churches International for the past year and will continue his work at Bayside.

"My job will be to help launch Thriving Churches and help Bayside continue to grow," Jackson said. "I will be executive pastor of leadership and discipleship and will work with the senior pastor to help lead Bayside.

"The vision is to help the 87 percent of the churches that are either plateaued or declining. To help with outreach, in spiritual growth and in the development of leaders," he said.

The growth of LifePoint in Carson Valley includes an expansion next year. Presently, the church property is 23,000 square feet of space in two buildings on 38 acres of land. The expansion adds a 5,000-square-foot education facility and a 3,000-square-foot lobby/atrium to connect the buildings.

"The campus build-out has been approved by Douglas County and we hope to do the first phase in spring," said Jackson. "People like to say it depends on the economy, but we think God is bigger than the economy."

The name of LifePoint comes from Colossians 2:6-7, "The point of life is for us to know Christ, live in Him and have His life flowing through us to bring others to Him."

"The name change is to help people find their relationship with God," said Jackson.

The former Carson Valley Christian is associated with a LifePoint church in Dayton, the former Centerpoint Christian Fellowship, which will be moving into a new building on Dayton Valley Road.

Jackson said they reach 350 people at the Dayton campus that was launched three years ago, and that an average of 1,600 people attend church in the Minden location on a regular basis.

"On Christmas and Easter, about 4,000 attend services and there's about 3,000 households who think they're loosely connected (to the church)," he said. "Almost 2 percent of the population attend our church on any given weekend.

"The church creates an environment where we invite people, connect with people and help people serve in the community."

The church's ministries include a food pantry that serves up to 200 people a month, community garden, senior home visitation and a ministry where wood is chopped and provided to community members.

Even though LifePoint is a large church, Jackson said they try to help people find an affinity for smaller groups and ministries.

"We tried to prove that big can be personal, that large doesn't have to be shallow," he said. "In the past couple of years we've made progress and people have a greater sense of connection. We provide pathways for people to become connected. We hope to maintain the quality of life in Douglas County."

Details:

LifePoint services

4:30 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Sunday

1095 Stephanie Way, Minden

cvcwired.com or 267-0151